Robben Island Museum

Robben Island does not rely on Eskom or the City of Cape Town for its power, so load shedding is not an issue at all. The ticket office for the Robben Island Museum (Nelson Mandela Gateway) at the Clock Tower Precinct in the V&A Waterfront has a back-up generator; along with a ticket scanning system that can function offline.

Robben Island Museum went green in 2017 with the installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) mini-grid which has the capacity of generating 666.4 kilo Watt peak (kWp) of clean energy. This PV plant is supported by 828-kilowatt hours (kWh) battery storage – enabling the use of solar energy on cloudy days and at night.

So, load shedding does not have an impact on this historic attraction.

V&A Waterfront

Trading at the main attractions of the V&A Waterfront remains unaffected by the load-shedding.

“As the V&A Waterfront, we have continued to invest and install additional independent generator capacity across the precinct with the objective of ensuring that as far as possible, our tenants can continue to trade and serve customers and visitors, as normally as possible. We have over 40 bulk generators with a further 10 on the way, together with some 180 UPS units. Our aim is to continue to trade through load shedding. One of the things we do well in South Africa is that we make a plan and get on and resourcefully fix things. ” Head of Communications, Donald Kau.

Groot Constantia

Fortunately, electricity is not required for wine tastings or pairings. The bottom cellar and Cloete Cellar are open as normal, as is the museum at the Manor House. Both Simon ’s and Jonkershuis restaurants have gas for cooking and remain open during load shedding.

Cape Point

The views do not change when the power is out, but hopefully, you will find extra power in your legs to climb the stairs to the lighthouse as the Funicular tram to the top does not run during power outages. The curio shops, Two Oceans Restaurant and food shops remain open for trade, however, their services are limited during load-shedding.

Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden

This beautiful garden is happy with sunlight from nature and does not need Eskom to shine. The gift shop remains open as do the tea room and restaurant. The Galileo open-air movies and Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset Concerts proceed as normal.

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway

The Cableway is open during load shedding as they have a backup hydraulic drive for the cars and generators for electricity.

There might be a slight delay in operations as it takes a little while to switch systems. The cable cars also travel half full when in back up mode so queues might be a little longer than usual. More info here.

Share your top Cape Town Big 6 events with us!

ONE DESTINATION, SIX UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCES

There is no one way to explore all of the Cape Town Big 6, and much of what makes each of them so special is the variety of things to see and do at each. So if possible, take your time to explore each of the city’s most visited tourist attractions in as much depth as possible – as any local will tell you, you can spend a lifetime at each of the Big 6 and still not tire of them.

Cape Town Big 6 Attractions – COVID-19 Update: V&A Waterfront: Retailers are open; read more here. Groot Constantia Estate is closed, but Open for wine sales ONLY – Monday to Thursday 09h00 – 17h00. All online wine sales and deliveries have resumed. Kirstenbosch Estate is closed but retailers are open with some restrictions.